Maradentro is a great little place with a hip ambiance as is the case with most establishments on the Ventura Blvd strip. They specialize in upscale mexican seafood and have a great list of craft cocktails. This is a great place to come with a group of friends or even on a romantic date. Parking can be a little tricky but they have valet so that is super helpful! They have indoor and outdoor seating and the staff is very attentive.

The portions are a bit on the smaller and pricier side; luckily, the flavors are incredibly great and you won’t leave starving. I hear they’ve got a pretty good happy hour so I’ll have to come back for that. Overall, would recommend!

Republique is one of LA’s hottest places to come brunch on a weekend and understandably so. Republique is housed in a unique building that Charlie Chaplin had built in 1928. The space was constructed with a mixture of bricks, tile, and ironwork – it resembles a spacious and airy courtyard and has an open kitchen for you culinary viewing pleasure. Upon walking in, you’re greeted by a beautifully stocked pastry counter. Menus are readily available at the entrance and you order in line. From there, you grab your table #, and look for a seat in the communal eating area.

The wait time varies greatly upon what time you arrive. Popular brunch times are 10-12, so expect a 30-45 minute wait to get to the front of the line, and then about 20-25 minutes to get your food. When I went, I noticed that as I was leaving around 2pm, there was hardly anybody in line; seems like a great time to go!

And, boy, do they deliver fire! After an incredibly “food-filling” trip to Vietnam two years ago, I realized, much to my dismay, that there were not a lot of good and authentic vietnamese restaurants in my part of town (read: the valley). Luckily, I went to go get dry cleaning done, and noticed Feu Pho Kitchen in the same little shopping center.

Since going into Feu, I have been back 3 times in a 1-month span. Why? Mostly for the pho & pork belly banh mi.

The pho’s broth is so incredibly flavorful and the thin slices of ribeye are perfectly tender. Typically, I’m inclined to add in a ton of hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sriracha to get pho tasting how I want it to, but at Feu this is not necessary.

The pork belly banh mi is not prepared traditionally but that does not take away from how mouth-watering it is.

Situated about a mile and a half off of the 210 freeway in Pasadena, is an unassuming building with a sign reading “Mint Leaf Indian Cuisine”. The building has a large parking lot so parking is essentially stress-free (something that can’t be said about most restaurants in Los Angeles!). Upon walking into the establishment, I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the inside decor is. There is a stark difference between the outside and the inside of this restaurant – but aren’t we always told that it’s what inside that matters? This definitely applies to Mint Leaf.

As someone who is just now diving headfirst into Indian cuisine, I am still a bit confused as to what each dish on the menu is. Anything and everything I’ve ever had at an Indian restaurant is typically delicious but I normally need quite a bit of help during the ordering process. Luckily, for an Indian food newbie like me, the staff here was incredibly knowledgable on each of the dishes on their extensive menu.The best way to come here is with a large group of friends in order to be able to try a large variety of apps, entrees & desserts. And if you like spicy food as much as I do, this place will blow your socks off. They’ve perfected the balancing act of savory with just the right amount of kick.

You like exotic sausages? You like craft beer? Link N Hops has got you covered.

I came here on a Wednesday night with a group of friends and we split a few sausage platters – traditional, exotic & vegan – that we paired with beers from their vast craft beer selection (get the S.N.A.F.U.!) I loved that there were a ton of different sausages to choose from and the condiment selection is off the chain (I’m a huge condiment junkie!).

Best part of the night? Wednesdays are trivia night! We had the most wonderful time indulging in goodies while having a super fun time competing against the other tables at the bar. Highly reccommended!

Being a San Francisco Giants fan in Los Angeles is hard. And it’s even harder for me – a girl born and raised in Los Angeles. Needless to say, I get quite a few raised eyebrows when people find out where my baseball loyalty stands. A few weeks ago, the boy and I wanted to to catch the SF Giants vs Dodgers game a few weeks back but were unable to get tickets on time. We asked ourselves, ” Where can we watch an SF Giants game in LA?”. After a few Google & Yelp searches, we found our new spot: San Francisco Saloon.

We came here for the baseball but were exceptionally surprised by the food!WHAT TO ORDER |
→ Montana Burger & Fries
→ Spicy Buffalo Strips & Salad

Guess what? You don’t have to drive all the way to the San Gabriel Valley in order to get good dim sum anymore! Now, you can find all of your traditional goodies – and then some – at New School Kitchen on Sawtelle.

New School Kitchen is owned by Alexander Chu. You might remember him from 2010, when he launched a food truck concept simply called “The Dim Sum Truck”. His new concepts brings over a lot of the same menu items from his food truck but what he’s trying to do now is tie in the old school traditional favorites with “new school” asian bbq.

Is this heaven? I feel like I’ve landed on a deliciously decadent british cloud – and yes, you can join me up here if you’d like.

Situated on the corner of Sawtelle and Olympic is where you’ll find Chef Brendon Collin’s new british pub – Butcher’s Dog. He is serving up classic pub favorites with a unique upscale twist. The flavors are so incredibly jam packed into every dish and, as you can see from all of the photos, the food is beautifully presented.

WHAT TO ORDER |

The chicken liver & foie gras mousse is an obvious choice and the chicken tikka masala flatbread is a crowd-favorite. If you’re more of a traditionalist, then you won’t be disappointed by the classic fish & chips. The breading, perfectly crunchy and crisp, the fish, moist, tender and flavorful.

With 10 HDTVS and sporting events playing on them at all times, this is a great place for sports fans to come hang out at. They’ve got 10 beers on tap, 19 in bottles and cans as well as a carefully curated wine list.

And if you’re coming here with friends, sharing dishes is a great idea since the portions are pretty good size. Feeling like having some comfort food? For that, I’d highly recommend the cottage pie and the sticky toffee pudding w/ vanilla ice cream (pictured below).

PRO-TIPS

Great happy hour from 3pm to 6:30pm and 10pm – close. During these times all draft beers are $2 off, beer pitchers are $6 off and a few select wines are only $6 a glass.